Automatic railroad track gauge



May 16, 1950 LE VAN A. FRANK 2,507,896

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD TRACK GAUGE Filed NOV. 9, 1948 IN VEN TOR.

Patented May 16, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,507,896 AUTOMATIC RAILROAD TRACK GAUGE Le Van A. Frank, Freeport, 111.

Application November 9, 1948, Serial No. 59,048

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to gauge devices, and more particularly to a device for ascertaining deviations from correct gauge of the opposite rails of railroad tracks.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved railroad track device which is simple in construction, automatic in operation and which is not. affected by side swaying of the vehicle to which the gauge device is attached.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved automatic railroad track gauge device of the type which is attached to a track inspection vehicle and drawn along the track by said vehicle, the gauge device providing graduated signal indications of predetermined degrees of deviation of the tracks from correct gauge width, said device being sturdy in construction, reliable in performance and inexpensive to build.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claim, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a track inspection vehicle having connected thereto an automatic track gauge device constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail bottom plan view of the track-engaging portion of the gauge device of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary crosssectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken on line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a schematic wiring diagram of the electrical indicating circuit employed in the track gauge device of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, I l designates a conventional motor car of the type employed for inspecting railroad tracks. Secured to the rear transverse frame element l2 of the car by means of hinges l3, l3 are the rearwardly extending bar members l4, l4 and movably connected to the rear ends of bars I4, M by means of shouldered bolts I 5, l5 extending through transverse slots [6, 16 formed in the bars !4, I4 is a crossbar ll. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, a bracket member I8 is secured to the underside of crossbar I! extending at right angles thereto. Journalled in bracket member l8 are the respective vertical rollers I9, l9 adapted to ride on the top of the head of one of the rails, shown at 20.

Secured to the underside of cross-bar l1 inwardly 2 adjacent bracket I8 is a second bracket member 21 having downwardly inclined arms 22, 22 provided at their ends, with horizontal rollers 23 engageable with the inside vertical surface of the head of rail 20. Secured to the underside of the opposite end portion of cross-bar i! is a. bracket 24. in which is journalled a vertical roller 25 adapted to ride on the top of the head of the remaining rail 26.

Secured to the underside of cross-bar H inwardly spaced from bracket 24 and extending p a lel t the rail 26 and at ri ht angles. to crossbar [I is an elongated block member 21. Pivoted to the underside of block member- 21 at longitudinally spaced points thereonrshown respectively at 28, 29, 30 and 3| are the respective arms 32, 33, 34 and 35, having journalled to their outer ends the respective horizontal rollers 36, 31, 38 and 39. The inner ends of arms 32, 33, 34 and 35 are connected to block 21 by springs 40, biasing the arms clockwise, as viewed in Figure 2, whereby the rollers 36, 31, 38 and 39 are biased into engagement with the inside vertical surface of the head of rail 26. Secured to the underside of the block 21 and located to the right of the inner ends of the respective arms 32, 33, 34 and 35, as viewed in Figure 2, are the respective normally open push button switches 4|, 42, 43 and 44 with their button elements located so as to be engageable by the arms responsive to clockwise rotation thereof. The spacing of the push button switches from the respective arms is different for each arm so that each switch will be closed responsive to a different degree of rotation of the arm associated therewith.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the cross-bar I1 is connected to the arms l4, [4 by respective springs 45, 45, biasing the cross-bar I! to the right as viewed in Figure 3, whereby rollers 23 are maintained constantly in rolling contact with the inside vertical surface of the head of rail 20. Any deviation in gauge between rails 20 and 26 will therefore cause the arms 32, 33, 34 and 35 to be rotated by their biasing springs to a degree determined by the amount of gauge deviation.

Mounted on the car II is a panel 46 carrying respective signal lamps 41, 48, 49 and 50. As shown in Figure 6, these lamps are connected in respective series circuits with the switches 4|, 42, 43 and 44. these circuits being connected in parallel across a storage battery 5|, carried by the car II. The wires leading from the switches are incorporated in a cable 52 extending from block 21 to the panel 46.

In operation, the device is drawn along the 3 tracks by the car II. The hinge connections l3, [3 allow the arms [4 to angle freely in a vertical plane in response to vertical irregularities of the track without disengaging the rollers from the heads of the rails 20 and 26. Deviations in gauge width between the track rails will be indicated by the illumination of the respective signal lamps 41, I8, 49 and 50, each lamp representing a predeterm'ined degree of gauge deviation. By observing the lamps, the deviations in gauge between the rails may readily be detected as the car I I moves along the tracks and the amount of deviation may be readily determined by observing which of the lamps are illuminated.

The arms 32, 33, 34 and 35 may be located with respect to their associated switches to signal deviations over gauge width in successive increments, for example deviations of one quarter inch, one half inch, three quarters of an inch, and one inch, respectively.

While a specific embodiment of a railroad track gauge indicating device has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A railroad track gauge device of the character described comprising a frame, means hingedly connecting said frame behind a track car for free movement vertically, said frame having a cross member movably secured thereto for movement transversely of the frame, guide means 4 fixedly secured to said cross member and engaging the top and inside surface of one of the track rails, spring means acting between the cross member and the remainder of the frame biasing said guide means outwardly against said one track rail, a plurality of follower members pivotally connected to said cross member and engageable with the inside surface of the opposite track rail, spring means biasing said follower members against said opposite track rail, respective normally open switches carried by the crossmember adjacent the respective follower members and closable thereby responsive to outward following movement of said respective follower members, said switches being differently spaced from the respective follower members to represent various predetermined degrees of track gauge deviations, and separate electric signal circuits controlled by the respective switches.

LE VAN A. FRANK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 770,213 Billington Sept. 13, 1904 874,373 Fordyce Dec. 17, 1907 1,611,185 Gunn Dec. 21, 1926 2,286,456 Boettcher June 16, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 679,865 France Jan. 14, 1930 

